LIVE: Regal Princess, February 5-12, 2022: Geoherb goes solo again

[dance4fun]

7 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Isn't tonight Dress to Impress night?  It doesn't look like a formal night menu and I haven't seen lobster on any of the menus thus far. 

Interesting to see the menu listed as 2/9/2022.  We had beef Wellington as the last listed menu option on the printed menu in club dining.  I could be wrong, but my understanding is that the printed club dining menu is the same as anytime dining, club adds a special item not printed for an appetizer and for a main entree.  I believe lobster was on the anytime dining dinner menu, not just a club dining option, but I didn't take a picture of the actual menu on 2/9. I believe the club dining special entree was lamb.  When we asked about the lobster, the waiter said the lobster tail was small.  He suggested that he bring it as a fish serving prior to the beef Wellington.  We did that and the lobster  portion size was small.  The lobster size was between half and 2/3 of the lobster size served in the Crown Grill that we ate on 2/8.  

[dance4fun]

10 hours ago, geoherb said:

Last night's show in the theater featured magician Neil Croswell. 

 

Tonight's show features Tom Franek. He was Princess's entertainer of the year in 2018. 

 

 

We enjoyed Neil, but really liked Tom's show.  Tom was a great entertainer, playing the piano from a number of unusual positions.  We also thought he sang quite well.   Tom is supposed to do a split (shared) show later in cruise.

Edited February 10, 2022 by dance4fun

[geoherb]

7 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Isn't tonight Dress to Impress night?  It doesn't look like a formal night menu and I haven't seen lobster on any of the menus thus far.  And have you gotten official word on Princess' definition of Dress to Impress?

 

Apparently the app had the wrong menu. Hard to believe the app would get something wrong. It was "dress to impress" last night and the usual second formal night menu: escargot, lobster tail over risotto, beef Wellington, etc. Everything was tasty. Everyone at my table had two lobster tails. They were pretty small. Our waiter just brought us complete servings with the risotto and vegetables the second time around. Two people at my table also ordered the beef Wellington and said it was very good.

 

I haven't seen any definition of "dress to impress." I'd estimate the percentages were higher for the men who went without a jacket. Many men still wore tuxedos or suits.

 

[dance4fun]

@Carnevale. We verified with the CD Aaron that the Sky Princess does not have a Crooners bar and has a Jazz club.  Aaron was recently on the Sky.  He said he had a number of comments about the lack of Crooners on Sky.  We told him a jazz club would not fit the needs of dancers.

[dance4fun]

18 minutes ago, geoherb said:

 

Apparently the app had the wrong menu. Hard to believe the app would get something wrong. It was "dress to impress" last night and the usual second formal night menu: escargot, lobster tail over risotto, beef Wellington, etc. Everything was tasty. Everyone at my table had two lobster tails. They were pretty small. Our waiter just brought us complete servings with the risotto and vegetables the second time around. Two people at my table also ordered the beef Wellington and said it was very good.

 

I haven't seen any definition of "dress to impress." I'd estimate the percentages were higher for the men who went without a jacket.

 

I certainly am not a fan of the Medallion application. Takes much too long to load data, compared to unfolding the printed Patter.

 

@geoherb  Thanks for clarifying the menu.  We enjoyed the Beef Wellington and escargot.  

 

Re jackets - the couple next to us at dinner were confused about dress code, believing it was to be a casual dress night following the Belize day.  I too assumed it would be casual until DW pointed to the Patter as I was getting dressed. Switched from sports coat to suit.

Edited February 10, 2022 by dance4fun

[geoherb]

I'm glad they're still automatically giving out a Patter every day. I've also been getting nightly cleaning of my cabin although I never asked for it. I've wondered if it's because my cabin steward mainly has suites to service and the people in them have higher expectations. I was fine without the nightly cleaning when I was in inside cabins on the Majestic Princess in August and the Caribbean Princess in December. 

 

Laundry came back the next evening both times I sent it out. 

 

Here are photos of the lobster and pistachio dome and today's Patter.

 

[Host CJSKIDS]

3 hours ago, dance4fun said:

We enjoyed Neil, but really liked Tom's show.  Tom was a great entertainer, playing the piano from a number of unusual positions.  We also thought he sang quite well.   Tom is supposed to do a split (shared) show later in cruise.

i absolutely love Tom, he is much fun at Crooners. Wish he was staying on for the sailing on 2/26. 
 

 

[RNRcruisers]

The pistachio dome was fabulous! Ugh, I could go for one right now.

 

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

i absolutely love Tom, he is much fun at Crooners. Wish he was staying on for the sailing on 2/26. 
 

 

Tom Franek is a guest entertainer who performed in the theater. Kevin Brando is the singer/pianist in Crooners each night.

 

[geoherb]

Patrizia, the loyalty and events manager, said that after next week's 1,800+ passengers, the Regal will go back down to 1,400+ the following week. She said that Conrad will be the director of dining operations on the Discovery. The last name was Polish. There will still be very few children under 18.

[azbirdmom]

12 minutes ago, geoherb said:

Patrizia, the loyalty and events manager, said that after next week's 1,800+ passengers, the Regal will go back down to 1,400+ the following week. She said that Conrad will be the director of dining operations on the Discovery. The last name was Polish. There will still be very few children under 18.

 

Thank you for checking on the menu and the bookings for the Feb 19 cruise.  It had sounded like the capacity was inching up but I will be happy if there are only 1400 on the ship.

 

I'm wondering if what folks wore last night was more a function of being told before they packed to expect two formal nights.  I do hope that if this becomes a permanent change, Princess will communicate what to expect including a modification of the dining room dress code printed on the website to indicate what is acceptable wear on Dress to Impress night.

[Donyb]

18 hours ago, geoherb said:

I enjoyed this morning's snorkeling trip. The best part was being able to board the boat that took us to a tiny island (Rendezvous Caye). The second best part was that we had fewer than half the number normally going--45 instead of 100. Out of the 45, 34 of us snorkeled. They broke us up into two groups. I went with the first group.

 

The equipment they had for us was fine. We did have to wear vests. The excursion included a snack, which was a hamburger and a cup of rum punch. They did not provide more rum punch for free, but we could purchase it. I was thinking they'd have it available complimentary on the trip back, but they did not.

 

The first two photos were taken while snorkeling. The one of the sting ray was from the pier. The last one is the island. It's 220 steps lengthwise and 50 in width.

 

I am considering doing this excursion when on the 2/19 sailing. I have been to Belize and took the shuttle water taxi to the island.  In reading about your tour, am I to understand that the excursion left right from the ship and you did not have to go to the town??

[Host CJSKIDS]

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

Tom Franek is a guest entertainer who performed in the theater. Kevin Brando is the singer/pianist in Crooners each night.

 

 

Oh got it.  He was in Crooners when we saw him. Are  you enjoying Kevin Brando?

[geoherb]

2 hours ago, Donyb said:

I am considering doing this excursion when on the 2/19 sailing. I have been to Belize and took the shuttle water taxi to the island.  In reading about your tour, am I to understand that the excursion left right from the ship and you did not have to go to the town??

 

Yes, the tour boat picked us up at the ship and dropped us off at the ship. The description on the Princess website doesn't quite match reality. 

"Complimentary water and punch are provided on the transfer from the cruise ship to the island. Snacks, hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks are available for purchase on Rendezvous Caye." They did not provide any beverages on the boat to or from the island. When we got to the island, they handed us a ticket that was good for one hamburger and one cup of rum punch. They tomato, onion, lettuce, mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup available for the hamburgers. They came already with cheese, but I guess someone could ask for one without. Additional cups of rum punch were $2. They also had beer, water, soft drinks, cookies, and chips available for purchase.

 

The best part was the excellent guide pointing out the various things we were seeing. 

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

 

Oh got it.  He was in Crooners when we saw him. Are  you enjoying Kevin Brando?

 

It's nice that Tom worked his way up to being a guest entertainer. I saw him on the Caribbean Princess and enjoyed the show enough to go back.

 

Kevin Brando is also good. I've been up at Crooners a couple of nights after the show in the theater.

[milogurd]

12 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Another cutback, saving about $3 total for the three bottles.

And saving passengers from severe blinding headaches after consumption!

[Donyb]

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

 

Yes, the tour boat picked us up at the ship and dropped us off at the ship. The description on the Princess website doesn't quite match reality. 

"Complimentary water and punch are provided on the transfer from the cruise ship to the island. Snacks, hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks are available for purchase on Rendezvous Caye." They did not provide any beverages on the boat to or from the island. When we got to the island, they handed us a ticket that was good for one hamburger and one cup of rum punch. They tomato, onion, lettuce, mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup available for the hamburgers. They came already with cheese, but I guess someone could ask for one without. Additional cups of rum punch were $2. They also had beer, water, soft drinks, cookies, and chips available for purchase.

 

The best part was the excellent guide pointing out the various things we were seeing. 

Thank you for your prompt and complete answer. I have enjoyed reading this thread with all the great info you have provided.

[Host CJSKIDS]

4 hours ago, geoherb said:

Patrizia, the loyalty and events manager, said that after next week's 1,800+ passengers, the Regal will go back down to 1,400+ the following week. She said that Conrad will be the director of dining operations on the Discovery. The last name was Polish. There will still be very few children under 18.

 

Sorry to ask you since you are already checking on so many things for all of us, but if you see them again, could you maybe ask for the 2/26  5 night sailing.  

[kb4683]

Could someone please provide a photo of the masks Princess is providing (N95/KN95)?

TYIA

[1emerald1]

5 hours ago, geoherb said:

Patrizia, the loyalty and events manager, said that after next week's 1,800+ passengers, the Regal will go back down to 1,400+ the following week. She said that Conrad will be the director of dining operations on the Discovery. The last name was Polish. There will still be very few children under 18.

[1emerald1]

Thank you for taking the time to inquire for me!

[geoherb]

3 hours ago, kb4683 said:

Could someone please provide a photo of the masks Princess is providing (N95/KN95)?

TYIA

 

Here is a photo. The top one is the KN95 mask that they had in my cabin. They previously had extras at guest services. But today, I somehow forgot my mask when heading out for my excursion. I did not realize it until I was nearly at the bottom of the stairs. I picked up the surgical style one from guest services.

[kb4683]

14 minutes ago, geoherb said:

 

Here is a photo. The top one is the KN95 mask that they had in my cabin. They previously had extras at guest services. But today, I somehow forgot my mask when heading out for my excursion. I did not realize it until I was nearly at the bottom of the stairs. I picked up the surgical style one from guest services.

Thank you!  We are boarding Regal on Saturday as you leave.  Will be bringing a few N95’s, but was curious what they were handing out.

[geoherb]

I had a good day in Cozumel. After trivia, I ran into two of our previous trivia teammates. We played on their team in 2007 on the Emerald Princess. They have lived in Florida for many years and like to take back-to-back-to-back etc. cruises. They've been on this ship since early January and have one more to go. They were the second-place couple at the Captain's Circle party, but I did not recognize them last night. It was great catching up with them.

 

My snorkeling excursion was pretty good. The snorkeling part, though, was not the best part. There were way too many people, the coral is not as good, and the guides did not tell us about anything. The best part was that the fish would swim closer to us than they did yesterday. The time at Fury Beach was fun. I spent the whole time in the water watching people play on the giant inflatables. I did not. My fingers were pretty pruned after about 90 minutes in the water.

 

They served beer, margaritas, soft drinks, and water after the snorkeling stop. They also had a bar at the beach serving them, but I did not drink anything there. On the way back, the water was rough. I was loving it. The good news was that I did not see anyone get sick. And from the amount of drinks some of them had coupled with the bouncing boat, it could have happened easily.

 

The passengers on the excursion were 75% from the Carnival Dream. A couple I spoke with said they had a nearly full ship. I'd never been on an excursion with a mix of passengers like that.

 

Overall, I'll probably rate it a 3 out of 5 stars when I take the survey after my cruise.

 

[dance4fun]

13 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

 

Kevin Brando is also good. I've been up at Crooners a couple of nights after the show in the theater.

We have enjoyed Kevin very much.  We started our B2B2B just catching part of his last set.  We have migrated to catching part of his second set and all of his third set.  The toasted almond martini is very nice.

Edited February 11, 2022 by dance4fun